Dr Yemi Farounbi is a former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines. In this interview with AYO ESAN, he speaks extensively about the military coup d’état in Niger and the need for Nigeria to approach the situation there with dialogue rather than military option. Excerpts:
We want your view on what is happening in some West African Countries, especially the issue of military coup d’état in Mali, Guinea, Chad and lately in Niger. How do you see the developments?
Well, it is unfortunate that at this stage of our development, we have begun the second wave of military intervention. It is an indication of our inability as leaders and followers in Africa continent to sustain the growth and maturity of democracy.
It has shown our incompetency or inefficiency and that is the reason why there is grumbling among the people that is being articulated in the form of a coup.
If democracy has satisfied the wishes of the people, it would have provided infrastructure, it would have put food on their tables, it would have put works before them, provided houses and the kind of comfort that we get in the western countries. We would have been able to sustain democracy. The inability of the various leaders to sustain this is the reason why we are now having some new inspire arising wearing military dresses.
How do you see the military option first raised by President Bola Tinubu, which has now been adopted by the ECOWAS leaders in restoring democracy in Niger?
It is a pity. I think diplomacy must first start before you begin the war because even at the end of the war, you still have to bring diplomatic amendment and discussion. I thought that ECOWAS has not exhausted all availabilities to see that they can diplomatically solve the problem.
I also believe that ECOWAS did not understand the reality of the problem in Niger. It appears that they think that once there is an Agbada wearing head of State, then there is democracy.
Have they studied the country well to know whether there is a viable and credible opposition? What is the level of judiciary, how independent, how fair are they? What about their legislators? Are they assertive or proactive? What is the provision of dividends? The fact that the common man on the streets in Niger has started jubilating is an indication of the failure of the civilian government.
So, you have to understand the place very well. When you empathise with them, it will be easier to negotiate. But when you rush with a deadline and a threat and in the process of that you even broke diplomatic rule. Like, for example, there is an agreement between Nigeria and Niger since 1964 to supply them electricity so that they will not dam the upper stream of River Niger and therefore made our dam in Kanji inefficient and ineffective, but you went and broke that without any consultation. In my view, you have just begun to fight the war of another country.
Why is it that the military coups that have happened are in French speaking countries, in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Chad and now Niger? Why? It has to do with the level of development. It has to do with the kind of independence they had. It has to do with the pact they signed at the independent that 80 per cent of their revenues will be banked in France. They cannot withdraw from it unless as a loan for which they pay interest. It has to do with what that pact says that all infrastructural developments will be undertaken by French companies.
That pact says mineral exploration and you know that uranium is an important mineral in Niger. They produced about 15 to 18 per cent of the whole World production, had to be done under that pact by the French companies. So, it is the pauperisation of the French-speaking countries by their former colonial masters. Unfortunately their subsequent political leadership has not been able to solve the problem.
Finally, we all must realise that democracy is not necessarily the best source of infrastructural or economic development. It is the best source of participation and freedom and it will keep on surviving in the West because all the basic needs that they want in the West, America and Europe like roads, water, education and jobs are there. They are not just looking for it. But these are African countries that are in dire need. Take Nigeria for example, we need urgently more than 21 million houses. Democracy may not necessarily deliver those things.
See what is happening in the National Assembly. This can pose an obstacle on the way. They can be busy sharing allowances. We have seen the quality of the screening they have just done and Nigeria is still the best of these African countries. We saw what happened in South Africa with the last President that was imprisoned. We see the level of corruption that we don’t see in the West. We see the level of perversion of justice that we don’t see in the West. We see so much intolerance of the opposition that we don’t see in the West.
So, when you begin to speak about democracy you must begin to realise that for it to succeed in Africa, there has to be some level of discipline. An indisciplined democracy that allows a state governor to appoint about 100 Special Advisers, a thousand Special Assistants and have an inflated cost of governance, is going to ultimately create a problem.
I think Nigeria should look at it, when we went into ECOMOG, we bore all the cost. Nigeria’s economy today cannot bear that cost. It cannot bear such kinds of financial and human losses.
Also, I think the people have forgotten that Niger is 80 per cent Hausa, same as Northern Nigeria. And its deposed President was an Arab. The minority tribe that has one percent of the population. We are Africans and we know what language does to us, what ethnicity does to us. You have a minority president that control only one per cent of the population and he is running a country in an answer to the interest of the West. The West says it is fighting insurgency, the way it pushed Ukraine into war. Ukranians are dying, their economy and infrastructure are being destroyed, not the economy of the West. In any case, they will still pay for the ammunition.
I think that Nigeria should not be turned into a battlefield because there are certain states sharing boundaries with Niger and there are no physical boundaries. This is the truth because of the sandy nature, there is no physical boundary. So, we may end up fighting ourselves or creating a situation in which the loyalty of some of our fighting men will be tempted when they meet people of their culture, language and religion and they begin to wonder whether to fight or not.
The new military Head of State of Niger didn’t see the envoy of Nigeria, ECOWAS or African Union, but he saw a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. That shows you the kind of religious tie they have with Nigeria and I think we should look at it carefully.
Some people are saying that President Tinubu is so concerned about the coup d’état in Niger because of the fear that it may spread to Nigeria. How can we curtail military coups in West Africa?
I love what George Weah was quoted to have said that the AU allowed the President of Cameroon to remain in office without saying anything. ECOWAS that allowed people to create third term, fourth term and five terms for themselves which we called institutional coup, cannot be crying if some people topple those people.
When we started NEPAD, it was to allow clear referencing, clear judgment, and clear assessment among the countries. But where is NEPAD today? It is gone.
So, when people are not ruling well, you don’t talk and when they get overthrown, you begin to talk. The answer to it is, provide the people with the minimum they need. They don’t expect that you will do the maximum, but they do not also want too much hardship. Every human being has what I call the elasticity level, beyond which he cannot tolerate hardship or tolerate hunger. Once the government takes note of that, they take care of that, I think that is the answer to it.
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
